Principles and business processes for responsible AI

The first article in this series examined why the world wants controls over Artificial Intelligence (AI). This second article discusses how an organisation can manage AI responsibly, in order to protect its own interests, but also those of its stakeholders and society as a whole. A limited amount of guidance is provided by ethical analysis. A much more effective approach is to apply adapted forms of the established techniques of risk assessment and risk management. Critically, risk assessment needs to be undertaken not only with the organisation's own interests in focus, but also from the perspectives of other stakeholders. To underpin this new form of business process, a set of Principles for Responsible AI is presented, consolidating proposals put forward by a diverse collection of 30 organisations.     

Testing Times Ahead: Non‐Invasive Prenatal Testing and the Kind of Community We Want to Be

This article reviews the Nuffield Council on Bioethics’ report on Non‐Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT); and introduces two general questions provoked by the report – concerning, respectively, the nature and extent of the informational interests that are to be recognised in today's ‘information societies’ and the membership of today's ‘genetic societies’. The article also considers the role and nature of the Nuffield Council. While the Council's report identifies a range of individual and collective interests that are relevant to determining the legitimate uses of NIPT, we argue that it should put these interests into an order of importance; we sketch how this might be done; and we suggest that, failing such a prioritisation of interests, the Council should present its reflections in a way that engages public debate around a number of options rather than making firm recommendations.     

代位权诉讼中债务人权益保护浅析

代位权作为债的保全制度之一,其设立的目的在于督促债务人积极追索其拥有的债权,以维护债权人的利益.我国的代位权制度在维护债权人利益的同时,在立法上却忽略了债务人的利益保护.必须从多个层面修改和完善代位权制度,以期达到在维护债权人利益的同时,亦防止损害债务人利益.     

Scientizing Food Safety: Resistance,Acquiescence, and Localization in India

Since the mid‐1990s, formal scientific risk management has been codified at all levels of food safety governance in affluent states: firm‐level standards, national regulation, and international law. Developing countries' access to affluent importers and power in international standard‐setting fora now hinges on their scientific capacity. This article explores the consequences of these developments in India, which moved quickly from resistance to acquiescence, and then later to mobilization around narratives of scientific risk management's local benefits. The case suggests a two‐stage model of scientization among developing countries: (1) coercive and competitive mechanisms drive adoption of science‐based governance models, and (2) as local actors mobilize to meet foreign demands, they attach their own interests and agendas to science‐based reforms. The outcome is a set of rational myths about the benefits of scientization. The article draws on content analysis of organizational, policy, and news documents and a small set of interviews with highly placed pubic officials and industry representatives.     

《SPS协定》与我国进出境动物检疫法律规范的完善

进出境动物的检疫日益成为各国为保护本国利益采取的有效措施之一,同时也是SPS协定基础上各世界贸易组织成员唯一可以使用的非关税技术措施。我国目前关于进出境动物检疫的相关法律规定滞后,没有充分利用WTO赋予各成员国在动物检疫方面的某些权利。我国应当基于SPS协定,扩大进出境动物检疫的内容和范围、完善具体检疫措施和规定以及创设对我国有利而WTO规则没有禁止的检疫制度,进而完善我国进出境动物检疫法律规范。     

Improving the Non-Governmental System of Outsourcing Labour Regulation in China

Abstract:  This article examines, from a legal point of view, the working and functioning of the non-governmental system of outsourcing labour regulation in China. This examination is conducted from two angles. First, by adopting the analytical tool of contemporary international law, in particular human rights law, it is found that generally the outsourcing regulation system possesses its full legitimacy and special value in realising business entities' responsibilities to respect, protect, fulfil and promote labours' fundamental rights and interests. The international community has also set some minimum legal requirements in this regard. Second, reviewed in the context of domestic law and policy, this article identifies that many legal questions arising from the outsourcing of labour regulation in China have been neglected by either the governmental or the non-governmental labour regulation system. Some representative legal issues are illustrated. It is argued that the underlying causes are three pairs of controversies, i.e. the controversy between the ideal standardised model norms vis-à-vis the realistic specified local societal concerns; the controversy between the voluntary nature of the non-governmental norms vis-à-vis the necessity for official authorities' legal guidance and enforcement; and the controversy between the internal interests of the international production chain vis-à-vis the external interests of outer stakeholders. Finally, this article concludes that, on the one hand, the foreign buyer companies and the international non-governmental organisations must not neglect the particular societal concerns and demands in China, and, on the other hand, the Chinese public authorities should promote and direct the development of the non-governmental labour regulation by improving the governance of rule of law as well as policy making and implementation. Some tentative proposals are raised for solution.     

论微信群主的民事责任承担

微信群主与群成员之间是一种法律调整之外的情谊关系,两者行使微信平台赋予的比如建群、退群或移除群聊等功能权限的行为属于情谊行为。但这并不意味着微信群不受法律调整,法规范层面已对群主和群成员权利义务作出规定。对于群主而言,因其对微信群负有法定管理职责,若群成员之侵权行为损害他人合法权益,则群主应当承担共同侵权责任。群主对于微信群内可能产生的风险具有较强的控制力,其管理职责本质上属于一般注意义务的范畴,这与以一般注意义务为理论基础的安全保障义务具有内在关联性。微信群内的群聊行为与《侵权责任法》第37条规定的群众性活动性质上均属于不特定多数人参加的活动。因此,当群成员侵害他人合法权益时,群主应当承担补充侵权责任。但如果群主已经在功能权限范围内采取了必要措施,则认为其尽到了管理义务,应予免责。     

Libel: Its Purpose and Reform

Discussion of libel often fails to define defamation law's purpose and thus properly to assess its value. This article argues that defamation's purpose relates to fundamental human interests in sociality, directly linked to important aspects of human health and well‐being. Protecting such interests is arguably required by the right to private life under ECHR article 8 and should not count as a violation of the right to freedom of speech. Some current reform proposals are criticised as failing to appreciate the importance of protecting sociality. ‘Business’ libel, however, often protects not sociality but purely economic interests. The article therefore argues that the protection of libel law, as opposed to that offered by malicious falsehood and the economic torts, should be withdrawn from purely economic reputation, starting with removing the rights of corporations to sue in defamation, a position compatible with the ECtHR's decision in Karako v Hungary.     

公益保护、行政处罚与行政公益诉讼——杭州市药监局江干分局“撮合私了”案引发的思考

药监局"撮合私了"行为的实质是放弃处罚权的不作为违法。销售假药之违法行为严重损害了社会公众的用药安全,同时破坏了市场主体的公平竞争秩序。违法行为所侵害的公共利益具有潜在危险性和主体不特定性特点,只有通过行政处罚才能修复违法行为所侵害的公共利益,所以,应当原则上禁止"撮合私了"。《治安管理处罚法》第9条的规定只是这个原则的例外,是在违法行为社会危害不大的前提下,综合考虑受害人补偿、调查成本等因素的制度选择。基于行政执法程序天然的利益对抗不足之缺陷,为了纠正随意"撮合私了"之违法行为,保护社会公众的用药安全与公平竞争权,将来修改《行政诉讼法》时应当确立行政公益诉讼制度。     

Another hospital saga: the chronicles of Professor Kossmann and Bayside Health

There is almost a tradition in Australia for the suspect practices of hospitals to be exposed by whistleblowers rather than official governance or accreditation processes. The Bundaberg, King Edward, Canberra, Campbelltown and Camden hospitals have been investigated as a consequence of whistleblowing, but it seems the lessons learnt fail to travel beyond the subject institution. For five years, a number of senior surgeons at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne complained about the clinical and billing practices of their colleague, Professor Thomas Kossmann, head of the trauma unit. Amid intense media interest, The Alfred eventually convened a peer review panel to investigate their concerns. Around the same time, two surgeons made disclosures to Ombudsman Victoria. The Ombudsman subsequently released two reports expanding on the findings of the peer review panel. The situation at The Alfred was remarkable for the numerous and diverse issues raised and the involvement of several external agencies. This article provides an overview and analysis of the peer review panel and Ombudsman's reports and the outcomes of the referrals and recommendations.     

损害赔偿的方法

恢复原状与金钱赔偿是大陆法系民法中损害赔偿的两种基本方法，二者分别保护受害人的完整利益与价值利益。由于我国现行法将恢复原状中的许多内容独立出来，因此恢复原状不仅被狭隘地理解为对受损物品的修复，而且不被看作是损害赔偿的方法。此外，现行法上赔偿损失的范围过于宽泛，不仅包括了大陆法系的金钱赔偿，还包括了恢复原状的花费。未来我国民法典应取消现行法上对恢复原状各种具体方法的挂一漏万式列举，恢复“恢复原状”应有的涵义。此外，民法典还应当明确地将恢复原状与金钱赔偿规定为损害赔偿的基本方法，严格区分恢复原状请求权、恢复原状花费的请求权以及金钱赔偿请求权。惟其如此，我国民法方能确立真正的损害赔偿方法之平行规范结构，充分贯彻完全赔偿与禁止得利原则，实现损害赔偿法的补偿功能。     

No Right to Classified Public Whistleblowing

Given the crucial role unauthorized disclosures can play in uncovering grave government wrongdoing, it makes sense to search for a defense of justified cases of what I call “classified public whistleblowing.” The question that concerns me is what form such a defense should take. The main claim will be a negative one, namely, that a defense of whistleblowing cannot be based on individual rights, be they legal or moral, though this is indeed the most commonly proposed defense. In closing, I will outline a more appealing alternative, namely, a justification defense.     

我国限制知识产权滥用的法律思考

知识产权性质上是一种私权垄断,在市场经济条件下易于被滥用。我国反垄断法应将限制知识产权滥用作为其重要组成部分,充分考虑权利各方的利益,特别注意权利人与社会公众利益的协调,同时,设置独立的反垄断执法机构,并适当考虑法律的成本与收益之间的关系。     

论注册会计师审计法律风险的强化

注册会计师在向社会提供审计服务时 ,面临着愈来愈多的法律风险 ,与审计质量相关的法律责任问题也对现行法律提出了新的挑战。在我国法制化程度不断提高的市场经济条件下 ,应不断完善相关的法律法规 ,建立健全注册会计师法律责任体系 ,促使注册会计师保持良好的职业操守和应有的谨慎性 ,出具真实、合法的审计报告 ,维护投资者及其自身的利益 ,促进注册会计师行业的健康发展。     

Whistleblowing at work: The results of a survey of procedures in further and higher education

This article briefly explains the concept of whistleblowing and why it should be encouraged. It then describes the way in which the law both constrained and encouraged the disclosure of information prior to the introduction of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. Having outlined the effect of the PIDA 1998, the authors present the background to their survey and summarise their results.     

《鹿特丹规则》的评价与展望

《鹿特丹规则》的先进性表现为：平衡利益,寻求统一,顺应时代,促进发展;其不足表现为：规则内容庞大,条款交织复杂;创新制度有不完善之处;有些制度的可操作性有待实践检验。文章还就公约签署,参加公约的时机以及修改《中华人民共和国海商法》等问题提出建议。     

中国素质教育病理剖析

本文认为中国教育危机四伏,推行素质教育迫不及待。并提出了几点建议。     

民事调解书的检察监督

对民事调解书进行检察监督是2012年民事诉讼法的新规定,也是我国检察机关的新任务。对调解书的监督与对判决、裁定的监督存在多方面的差异,只有充分认知和把握两者的区别,对民事调解书的检察监督才能顺利进行。民事诉讼法第208条中的"调解书",解释上应包括调解笔录、司法确认裁定书,但不包括仲裁调解书。对调解书的监督,应当采用依职权监督的方式。授权检察机关对损害国家利益、社会公共利益的调解书进行监督的规定属于法律中的一般性条款,检察机关正确实施监督的关键在于恰当界定调解书是否损害这两种利益。对国家利益、社会公共利益应当采用目的性扩张的解释方法,调解书违反法律的禁止性规定、严重违背社会公德、损害集体经济组织利益、损害社会弱势群体利益的,也应当视为损害国家利益、社会公共利益。损害案外人利益的虚假诉讼的调解书,也应成为监督的对象。适用民事诉讼法第208条时,还应注意国家利益与社会公共利益在一些情况下难以精确地界定和区分。     

我国行政复议与行政诉讼程序衔接之再思考

受具体国情的影响,各国立法有关行政复议与行政诉讼程序衔接的设置存在较大差别,并在总体上呈现出三种各具特色的模式;同时,公民权利有效救济的基准、司法与行政比较优势的发挥以及司法最终原则的贯彻也是各国制度演进所表现出的共性规律。我国行政复议与行政诉讼程序衔接的设置缺乏统一标准,既无助于行政纠纷的及时化解和公民合法权益的有效维护,甚至还会引发行政权与司法权的相互侵蚀。应当在借鉴域外模式经验的基础上,逐步取消行政复议终局型、重新设定行政复议前置型、严格限定迳行起诉型并大力推行自由选择型。     

Who should determine what is best for children in state custody who object to psychotropic medication?

This article explores a child's right to refuse medical treatment, in contrast to giving the state or the parents this choice. The article specifically explores a child's right to refuse psychotropic drugs, which are more limiting of personal liberty than physical restraints and can have long-lasting side effects. With a focus on children's competence and the significant side effects of psychotropic drugs, the author concludes that caseworkers do not know the best interests of children in state custody and thus adolescents should be allowed to make their own decisions about psychotropic medications.